Charles Norman Mills Collection, Circa 1915-2009
Collection context
Summary
- Extent:
- 20 Linear Feet
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
Charles Norman Mills Collection (AARLCC-2003.28), AARLCC Special Collections, Broward County Library.
Background
- Scope and content:
The Charles Norman Mills Collection contains audiocassette tapes, CDs, vinyl record albums, musical instruments, and books related to the art and music of the Harlem Renaissance collected by Harlem-born artist Charles Norman Mills (1920-2009). It also contains several pieces of Mills' artworks.
- Biographical / historical:
Charles Norman Mills (1920-2009) was a graphic designer, painter, and illustrator. He is best known for his murals in various communities across the United States, including the Sistrunk Boulevard "Wall of History" mural in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
He was born in Harlem, New York and graduated from the Art Career School of Commercial Illustration and then attended the Brooklyn Museum of Fine Art. After serving in the United States Army, he worked as a medical illustrator for the V.A. Medical Center in Brooklyn for 23 years.
Mills moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1985 and became an adjunct professor at the New World School of the Arts in Miami and also taught at the Broward Art Guild and the Coral Springs Museum of Art. The African American Research Library and Cultural Center exhibited his paintings in April 2003, June 2004, and December 2005. In 2009, the Jim Moran Foundation honored him as an African-American Achiever for his six decades of painting and his focus on the African-American experience. He died in Pembroke Pines, Florida on October 20, 2009. He was survived by his wife, Thelma, as well as by two daughters Renee Chester and Denise Collins, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren
- Acquisition information:
- Charles Norman Mills donated the materials to AARLCC Special Collections on October 9, 2003 (Accession AARLCC-2003.28). Accruals were donated by Charles Mills January 24, 2007 and on August 1, 2007 and by Thelma Mills on November 19, 2009. Other materials were collected by AARLCC staff.
- Processing information:
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
The Charles Norman Mills Collection is open for research.
- Preferred citation:
Charles Norman Mills Collection (AARLCC-2003.28), AARLCC Special Collections, Broward County Library.
- Location of this collection:
-
African American Research Library and Cultural Center, Broward County Library2650 Sistrunk BoulevardFort LauderdaleFL33311USA
